Mechanism for loading watch-jewels



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L. N. JAGKMAN & 0. A. SMITH. MEUHANISM FOR LOADING WATCH JEWELS.

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(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 2. L. N. JAUKMAN'& 0. A. SMITH.

MECHANISM FOR LOADING WATCH JEWELS.

No. 521,715. Batented June 19, 1894.

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L -N. J'AOKMAN & O. A. SMITH. MECHANISM FOR LOADING WATGH JEWELS.

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No. 521,715. Patented June 19, 1894.

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MECHANISM FOR LOADING WATGH JEWELS.

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v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC LEMUEL N. JACKMAN AND OTIRTIS A. SMITH, OF ELGIN, ASSIGNORS TO THE ELGIN NATIONAL WATCH COMPANY, OF OHICAGO,ILLINOIS.

MECHANISM FOR LOADING WATCH-JEWELS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters latcnt No. 521,715, dated June 19, 1894. Application filed August 22, i892. Serial No. 443,765. (No model.)

To whom itmay concern.-

Be it known that we, LEMUEL N.JAOKMAN and OURTIs A. SMITH, of Elgin, in the county of Kane, and in the State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements. 7 1n Mechanism for Loading Watch-Jewels; and

we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective View of our machine as preferably constructed. Figs. 2 and 3 are elevations of opposite sides of the same- Fig. 4 is a vertical central section upon lines x-a: of Figs. 2 and 3. Fig. 5 is an enlarged longitudlnal section of the jewel loading and holding devices. Fig. 6 is an enlarged plan view of the lower end of the jewel holding tube and shows the spring detents, which operate to prevent the jewels from escaping; and Flg. 7 is a front elevation of the jewel hopper and the mechanism employed for arranging the jewels with their fiat sides to the front, the front portion of said parts being removed.

Letters of like name and kind refer to like parts throughout the several figures.

The object of our invention is to enable the jewels of a watch movement to be automatically arranged with their respective faces in the same position and then loaded into a holder from which they may be fed to a setting machine, and to such end our said invention consists in the mechanism substantially as and for the purpose hereinafter specified.

In the carrying of our invention into practice, we employ a mechanism for arranging the jewels with their faces occupying the same relative positions and another mechanism for loading such jewels into a holder from which they may be fed to the setting mechanism, and will describe such mechanisms in their order of operation.

For arranging the jewels we employ a frame A in which is journaled a shaft B that has secured upon its rear end a crank arm 0 and upon its front end a hopper which is composed of asemi-spherical rear portion D, and a similar front portion D, that has its upper portion extended outward as shown so E and E into the interior. Said sections are united at their edges (2 and d which for such purpose are extended in parallel planes,and the whole is given a support or bearing by means of a ring F that is secured upon said frame and is provided with a groove f which receives the rear face of the flange d of said section D and the edges of such flange and the flange d of said front section. The lower portions of the hopper sections D and D are made solid and between the same is left a space cl which extends from their edges upward about one fourth the diameter of said hopper and is open at said edges. Said space has a width slightly greater than the thickness of the jewel to be operated upon and at its upper end communicates with the interior of the hopper by means of a number of vertical chanhole (1 and d which have each a width in size-and shape, and within the inner face of either or of both of said parts is formed a groove 9 that is slightly wider than the diameter of a jewel and has a depth slightly greater than the thickness of the same which groove, at its upper end opens into the space (1 The hopper described is caused to have a partial rotation in opposite directions by means of a'connection H which atone end is pivotedupon the crank arm 0, and at its opposite end is journaled upon a crank pin I that is secured within a disk K upon arotating shaft L. Said crank pin is, preferably, made adjustable toward and from the center of said disk so as to vary its throw and corre- 'spondingly diminish or increase the amount of oscillation'of said hopper. Jewels are now placed within the hopper and the shaft L caused'to rotate when the agitation of said jewels by the oscillation of the hopper will cause them to incline toward the upper ends of the channels (i and d and such as are presented in the right position-with the convex face rearward-will then pass into said channels and through the same into the space (1 when they will be prevented from changing position and from whence, by the oscillation of said hopper they will pass in succession downward into the groove g.

The loading mechanism is placed below the arranging mechanism and consists preferably of a plunger M which is contained within a horizontal tube N that is secured within the frame A with its front end secured to the lower end of the arm f and its rear open end at the rear side of said frame. Said plunger at its front end has a section 'm which is slightly smaller in diameter than the diameter of a jewel and is contained within a corresponding opening f that is formed in said arm f. At its rear end the plunger M projects from the tube N and engages with a series of teeth 0 and 0 which are formed upon the contiguous face of a wheel 0 that is journaled upon the shaft B, the arrangement being such that when said wheel is caused to rotate each of its teeth acting as a cam will press said plunger forward, while by means of a spring m which is placed around the front portion of the plunger within the front end of said tube, said plunger is pressed to the rear limit of its motion whenever a tooth has passed out of engagement with its rear end. The wheel 0, which with its teeth, constitutes a cam, is given a step-by-step rotation by means of a ratchet wheel P which is secured upon its rear face and is engaged by a pawl Q that is pivoted upon a disk R. Said disk is journaled upon the shaft 13 and is given an oscillating motion by means of a connection S that has one end pivoted thereto and its opposite end jonrnaled upon an eccentric T which is secured upon and rotates with a shaft U. Said shaft U is connected with and drives the shaft L and rotates about three times to each rotation of the latter.

Directly in front of and in line axially with the opening f in the arm f is a. tube V which is suitably supported by a portion of the frame A and is adapted to receive and contain a jewel holder W. Said holder consists of a tube having a diameter of interior slightly greater than the diameter of a jewel which has its rear end permanently inclosed, and its front end provided with a series of springdetentswandw that movein radial lines and may be spread to uncover said tube end.

When cldsed together said detents leave an opening slightly larger than the front end m of the plunger M into which openingsaid plunger end may pass without interference. Within said tube is a sliding follower w which is held with a yielding pressureat the frontend thereof by means of a spring 10 and may be moved rearward by the insertion of jewels into said tube. The groove g ends at the opening f 2 so that the lowermost j ewel'within said groove will coincide with such opening and when the plunger moves forward will be engaged by its front end an and moved in the same direction coming into contact with the spring detents w and w of the holder W. w ll spread the same apart and pass into said holder. When the plunger is moved forward the adjustment of parts causes its forward end to pass sufficiently beyond the detents to enable the latter to close. behind and lock the jewel in place, while upon its backward motion, the front end stops just after having reached the rear side of the groove g when the jewels within said groove drop downward with the lowest jewel directly in front of said plunger in position to be moved into the holder.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim isi i 1. In a machine for loading jewels into a holder, the combination with a holder'adapted to receive and hold a number ofjewels, of a reciprocating plungenand a hopper discharging to a point in line with said plunger, substantially as and for the purpose shown.

2. In a machine for loading jewels into a holder, the combination of a horizontally reciprocating plunger, a holder supported in line with the latter adapted to receive and hold a number of jewels, and a hopper having a guide depending vertically from it to convey jewels into the path of the plunger, substantially as and for the purposeset forth.

3. In a machine for loading jewels into a holder, the combination with a reciprocating plunger for moving jewels to a holder, of a hopper having a discharge opening leading thereto, and several wayscommunicatin g with said opening at thesame time, which .permit the passage of jewels only in a predetermined position, substantially as and for the purpose described.

4. In a machine for loading jewels into a holder the combination with areciprocating plunger for moving jewels to a holder, of a hopper having several openings discharging simultaneously to a common space which permit the passage of jewels in one position only, and a guide leading from said space to theholder, substantiallyas and for thepurpose specified.

5. The combination with a reciprocating plunger for moving jewels into a holder of a hopper comprising a vibratory and a fixed part and a guideway leading from the hopper conforming to the shape of the jewels to permit their passagein one position only, substantially as and for the purpose shown.

6. The combination with means for moving jewels into a holder, of a hopper comprising a vibratory and a fixed part, a number of guideways leading from the hopper that conform to the shape of thejewels to permit their passage in one position only, and the guide depending from the fixed part of the hopper to which all of said guideways discharge, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. In a machine for loading jewels into a holder, the combination of a jewel hopper, or

receptacle, a plunger for moving jewels therecomprising a fixed and a movable part, a rock I 5 shaft connected to the latter, a reciprocating plunger to which jewels arefed from the hopper, and the toothed wheel, ournaled on said rock shaft to reciprocate the plunger, substantially as and for the purpose shown.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing we have hereunto setour hands this 17th day of June, 1892.

. LEMUEL N. JACKMAN.

CURTIS A. SMITH.

Witnesses: GEO. S. PRINDLE,

CARLOS H. SMITH. 

